When San Diego’s famous Gaslamp Quarter invites you to spend an entire day (or weekend) tasting their famous fare, YOU GO. You don’t say, “let me check my calendar” or “I have other plans”. You say “Where will we meet, and what time should I be there?”.

Two PM at my friend’s place. Got it.

We bought our tickets and strategically headed North on Sixth St., trying to beat the crowds. It worked- we were the first people at our first restaurant, Greystone. There they served us delicious little meatballs with risotto. It’s one of the only restaurants I’ve been to before, and I haven’t been since, but I’d go back for those meatballs!

Next, we went to Ocean Room for some delicious sushi.

Then to Chianti for some mediocre pasta…

And Whiskey Girl for a bourbon slider and chicken wing. The slider was a tad dry, but the wings pretty much blew my mind.

And on it went… bite after bite after bite…

And we topped it all off with a cupcake from the appropriately-named Heavenly Bakery (really, to die for! I mean, just look at my face!) I got salted brown butter caramel (or something like that.) It was 30 seconds of euphoria.

And last, a beer garden atop the Marriott.

By the end of the day, we’d tasted cuisine from nearly every continent: sushi from Asia, paella from Europe, ceviche from an African joint… even good ole’ American grub. It was deliciously satisfying and a whole day of fun.